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Published : 19 Sep 2013, 05:20 PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina greeted the newly established 99 Composite Brigade by hoisting its flag at the Army Aviation Hanger in Dhaka on Thursday.
"We have formed the 99 Composite Brigade comprising two infantry units and one engineering battalion to ensure safety and supervision of the Padma bridge project work," Hasina said while addressing army personnel at a programme at the 20 BIR training ground at Dhaka Cantonment.
The brigade comprises of 20 Engineering Construction Battalion, 58 East Bengal Regiment and 34 Bangladesh Infantry Regiment (BIR).
Communications Minister Obaidul Qader hoisted the flag of the 58 East Bengal Regiment, Hasina's Defense Advisor Maj Gen (retd) Trique Ahmed Siddiqui hoisted flag of 34 BIR and Army Chief General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan hoisted the flag of the 20 Engineering Construction Battalion.
Construction of the 6.15 km bridge was deferred due to financing complexities with project's lead lender, the World Bank. The government finally withdrew its $1.2 billion funding request from the Washington-based global lender and decided to go ahead with domestic funding.
Tenders have already been floated as the incumbent government approaches the end of its tenure.
"We want to construct [the Padma bridge] with our own funds, we will not take money from the World Bank," said the Prime Minister.
The global lender had raised graft allegations involving high-ranking government officials.
The bank had complained of a kickbacks 'plot' to appoint the Canadian construction firm, SNC-Lavalin, as the project consultant.
The government denied the allegations outright but ordered the national anti-graft agency to begin a probe.
However, the Anti-Corruption Commission kept former Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain and former state minister Abul Hasan Chowdhury out of the probe ambit.
Chowdhury has been charged by the Canadian police in a graft case in Canada.
It is estimated that the bridge will raise the country's GDP by one percent once the bridge connects 21 southern districts with Dhaka.
"We will construct our infrastructure ourselves," said Hasina.
"We are an independent nation. We want to hold our head high," she added.
